The Theatre Arts Department seeks to introduce and provide unique opportunities for well-rounded student development both onstage and backstage. Students are required to select at least two Fine Arts courses for graduation. Students can learn set building, costume making, makeup application, as well as acting and directing skills. Courses are available beginning with the College Prep level, moving into Academic and Honors level.
Contact Department Chair Michael Moffatt with question at mmoffatt@gocathedral.com
Intro to Acting I (College Prep)
C7530C 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
None.
Course Description:Take a class where ‘chewing up the scenery’ is a good thing! This semester-long course starts by embodying “bad acting” and works toward what makes acting good! We will study monologues, scenes, and read plays together. We will explore script analysis and apply it to character work and different performance spaces. We will also play lots of games! Games teach body awareness and control, along with vocal technique. Please note: students are expected to attend two productions outside of class. This course is offered both fall and spring semesters and can be taken multiple times. This course can satisfy the Speech requirement for those enrolled in CP, A, or LSP English.
Technical Theatre I (College Prep)
C755CF/C755CS 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
None
Course Description:
This is a basic stagecraft class. No prerequisite is required. Students learn the basic processes of set and prop construction for theatre. Units include basic terminology, drafting, painting techniques, theatre safety, construction techniques of both scenery and properties, rigging, production sequence and model making. This course concentrates on set design and implementation. This class, along with Technical Theatre II, does the primary set for all Cathedral Theatre productions.
Technical Theatre II (College Prep)
C756CS 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Technical Theatre I.
Course Description:
This course builds on the knowledge and skills started in Technical Theatre I. Students further their understanding of the physical theatre technology and implementation of special effects, lighting, and sound. Students expand their experiences and activities with the addition of “whole production” techniques. This class, along with Technical Theatre I, does the primary set construction for all productions and also implements the lighting and sound plots for Cathedral Theatre productions.
Technical Theatre III (Academic)
C736AF 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Technical Theatre I and II and/or instructor’s approval.
Course Description:
This course continues the technical theatre track, focusing on design elements. The students learn elements of theatrical set design. For Set Design, the units include design styles, design movements, basic drafting, color usage, fabric and textures, painting techniques, and all other techniques relevant to set designing for the stage. The class focuses on production design, including perspective drawing, and scale drafting of all set elements. The class also learns basic Vectorworks (CAD) computer design program for set design. Theatre design portfolios are also designed and built for college and theatre job applications.
Technical Theatre IV (Academic)
C735AS 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Technical Theatre I and II and/or instructor’s approval.
Course Description:
This course continues the technical theatre track, focusing on lighting and sound design elements. For lighting and sound design, the units include design styles, design movements, color usage, light as texture, light and fabrics, light and paint, mood lighting, lighting instruments, automated lighting, lighting control, sound equipment, sound effects, sound editing, stage amplification and all other techniques relevant to designing lighting and sound for the stage. The class also learns basic Vectorworks (CAD) computer design program for stage lighting. Theatre design portfolios are also designed and built for college and theatre job applications.
Independent Study: Set & Lighting Design for the Theatre (Honors)
C736XF/C736XS 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
Successful completion of Intro to Acting I and II, Advanced Technical Theatre I and II, and/or instructor’s approval.
Course Description:
Junior – 1st Year This course covers advanced elements in set and lighting design and is geared toward those students who plan to study theatre design in college. Advanced Vectorworks and production planning are the focus. This course covers those elements of design not covered in Advanced Technical Theatre. Most design work is geared toward CHS productions or student portfolios. Four semesters of Technical Theatre leads to Independent Study.
Theatre Studies I (College Prep)
C796CF/C796CS 1 Semester 1 Credit
Prerequisite:
None. Open only to students who have not taken any Theatre classes at Cathedral.
Course Description:
Want to beat your friends at trivia, improve your public speaking, AND get a behind-the-scenes look at what makes theatre so addictive? Spend the semester on your feet sampling Theatre from the Ancient Greeks to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. In the process, you will learn: acting techniques, text analysis, basic body awareness, and basic vocal technique. Students will gain practical storytelling and empathic skills that will help them excel academically and interpersonally.